Arts and Entertainment

Whether your favorite way to spend a Friday night is singing along with your favorite band, creating something new to hang on your walls or attending a performance of "Chorus Line" there is no shortage of entertainment options here. The Columbia Art League provides opportunities to either appreciate or make art; venues like The Blue Note and Mizzou Arena bring in musicians ranging from local bands to big-name acts; a slew of local theater companies provide ample opportunities to take in a play or musical; there are laughs to be found at comedy shows at Deja Vu every weekend and Columbia is even home to the Missouri Contemporary Ballet. There are also big events like the Roots and Blues and Barbecue and the True/False and Citizen Jane film festivals. There's always something going on in Columbia.

Fun on a budget

Want to get out of the dorm for a study break, but don’t have much money? Here are some fun activities in and around Columbia that won’t break your piggy bank:

While you’re hitting up the art district, try making some of your own. At The Mud Room, you can paint pottery to make a custom piece to decorate your dorm (or a great gift for Mom) or get even more creative in the hands-on clay working studio. There is a $5 painting fee, with pieces ranging from $5 to over $40.

Learn how to paint

Have you always wanted to paint but aren’t necessarily artistically gifted? Columbia is home to two locations where you can tap into your inner Picasso with guided classes.

The Canvas on Broadway

Location: 706 E. Broadway, Ste. 100

Call: 443-2222

Sign up: Check their website, www.canvasonbroadway.com for a schedule of classes with specific paintings and to reserve a spot. They also have open painting during class times.

Cost: Depends on the size of the painting; ranges from $15 for an 11”x14” canvas to $35 for a 16”x20” canvas

Paint the Town

Location: 2703 E. Broadway

Call: 573-777-7795

Sign up: Check their website, www.paintthetowncolumbia.com for a schedule of classes with specific paintings and to make a reservation. They also have open painting during class times.

Cost: Depends on the size of the painting and class time; ranges from $15 for an 11”x14” canvas to $40 for an 18”x24” canvas for 5 p.m. classes and from $30 for an 11”x14” or 12”x16” canvas to $45 for an 18”x24” canvas for 6:30 p.m.

Empire Roller Rink

Location: 1305 Business Loop 70 E.

Call: 443-7375

Flash back to your childhood as you roll around the hardwood. Skate rental is $1.50 for quad skates or $3 for inlines/speed skates, or you can bring your own, as long as they are clean.

Lazer Lanes is a three-for-one center of fun, with bowling, laser tag and an arcade. Bowling is $4.25 per person per game, plus $1.99 shoe rental. Laser tag is $6.50 per person per 12-minute “mission.” The arcade charges 25 cents per token, with games ranging from one to four tokens.

Disc golf

Columbia is home to three 18-hole disc golf courses. Two are located at Albert-Oakland Park, 1900 Blue Ridge Rd. in northeast Columbia. The third is located at Indian Hills Park, 5009 Aztec Blvd.

Columbia Parking

Columbia’s population swells with the start of each new school year, and all those new people mean more cars. As you head into the community, here’s what you need to know about parking:

Parking Garages

The city has six multi-level parking garages in downtown Columbia, which all include hourly spaces. The hourly spaces at the Seventh and Walnut garages use a “ticket and attendant” system. Most of the rest of the garages utilize pay machines that use a pay in advance system — a patron notes their parking space number and pays the machine for that space for the anticipated time they will be parked. The exception is the Eighth and Cherry Street garage, which has parking meters. Meter rates are 50 cents per hour in the hourly spaces.

Tenth and Cherry Street Garage, 1000 Cherry St.: 104 hourly spaces

Sixth and Cherry Street Garage, 555 Locust St: 78 hourly spaces

Eighth and Cherry Street Garage, 14 S. Eighth St.: 39 hourly spaces

Eighth and Walnut Plaza Garage, 17 N. Eighth St.: 99 hourly spaces

Fifth and Walnut Street Garage, 500 E. Walnut St.: 78 hourly spaces

Short Street Garage, 1110 E. Walnut St.: 26 hourly spaces

Parking enforcement in city garages runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Parking in city garages is free on Saturday and Sunday.

Meters

The city has 138 metered off-street parking spaces and 1,683 metered on-street spaces. Time limits on most downtown spaces ranges from 24 minutes to four hours, with some as long as 10 hours. There are also 71 disabled access parking spaces. Metered parking enforcement is from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Meter rates are 60 cents per hour downtown and 75 cents per hour in the campus zone.